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Retyped and added to the WWW by Mark J. Alexander from Rochester, Minnesota
last updated   12-10-07


Cliff Alexander Jr. At Ramsbury, England 1983


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The main street. Most all buildings are two story, with shops on the fitst floor and living quarters on the second floor.

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The Millhouse

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Street, or entry, riew of the first John Alexander home in Ramsbury.

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Records show that John Alexander held 22 poles (363 ft,) of land in Ramsbury, consisting of a house, garden and yard, a narrow but lengthy property.

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This thatch-roofed house was the first home in Ramsbury, of John Alexander, (b. 1792) and his wife Harriet, they being the great-great-grandparents of Cliff Jr. This house, situated in Blind Lane, is still in excellent condition in 1983.

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Rear view of the house, showing some modern improvements, including sliding glass doors.

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Birmingham University, where Cliff did his teaching.

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The village of Ramsbury, pronounced Rahmsbree by the Britons, is situ­ated about 60 miles west and a little north of London. Ten miles east of Ramsbury lies the village of Newbury, and another five miles eastward, the village of Thatch-am. Members of the Knight family lived in these two towns. Joseph, son of John married Hannah, daughter of George and Mary (Hind) Knight of Newbury, Berkshire, where he was a miller. A son of George and Mary, Jabez Knight was a corn and coal merchant in Thatcham, Berks.

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Brick, stone, wood siding, wood shingles and the usual two end chimneys from the fireplaces that originally heated the houses.

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A narrow street with the usual stucco and half-timber, brick and stone construction.

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Interior of THE PARISH CHURCH


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Also known as THE PARISH CHURCH. this church was the family church of the Alexanders of Ramsbury Ramsbury, it must be put on record that John Alexander was not in complete accord urith the restrictive doctrines of the Church of England. he donated land for a Methodist church in the village. A cousin, after a visit to Ramsbury, said, "The Methodist Church is at the other end sf the street", in reference to the location of the Parish Church.

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THE VILLAGE GREEN. And the remaining stump of "The old Oak Tree". Cousin Fay Alexander, after returning; from a trip to Ramsbury, Eng. in 1959 , wrote, "The two streets of the village join at the west and, and here one sees an enormous white oak, which must have been at least eight feet in diameter, and certainly was a patriarch among trees even in grandfather's time, perhaps he even sat in it's shade on a hot sum­mer afternoon." Evidently the tree had a top of branches and leaves when Fay saw it in 1959.

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CHURCH OF THE HOLY CROSS. RAMSBURY. was from the resistry of this ohurch that Roy Alexander obtained records of births, marriages and deaths of our ancestors in Ramsbury.

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Typical of the many thatch roofed houses in Ramsbury.

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A winding street, with hedges along side, in the village of Ramsbury. Most of the streets and many rural roads , are coated with tarmac. (black top)

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RAMSBURY PARISH CHURCH

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Garden view of the second Alexander home, and, below the well

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THE KENNET RIVER. Ramsbury. Probably furnished power for the mill. A nearly exact oopy of this picture could be taken on the Middle Branch, Whitewater River, in S.E. Minnesota.

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Second home of John and Harriet Alexander, in Ramsbury, this one located in Oxford Street.

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Another view of the second home. Note the inter­esting mixture of brick and stonework, common in Ramsbury. The stone, Chert (Flint) was quarried nearby was extensively used in building construct­ion

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Copy of Covenant dated 1808, Ramsbury, County of Wilts, England, covering rhe apprenticeship of John Alexander to Robert Newman to learn the trade of Carpenter and Wheelwright. John, (b.l792) he was six­teen years old at the time. when he came to America, with his family, in 1845, he brought the original document with him. It was handed down to his son Joseph, to Joseph's son Henry, to Henry's son Roy who now has it in his possess­ion; 175 years after it's execution.